WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 24: U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris shakes hands with Eric Garcetti after his swearing in ceremony as Ambassador to India at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on March 24, 2023 in Washington, DC. Garcetti previously served as the mayor of Los Angeles, California from 2013 to 2022. Garcetti was joined by his daughter Maya Garcetti. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti was sworn in Friday as the next U.S. ambassador to India by Vice President Kamala Harris. Garcetti was confirmed to be the next ambassador nearly two years after he was initially selected for the position.
On March 15, The Senate voted and confirmed Garcetti, a former mayor of Los Angeles, as the next U.S. ambassador to India. The vote was 52-42.
In a statement following the vote, Garcetti said he was “thrilled with today's outcome, which was a decisive and bipartisan decision to fill a critical post that has been vacant for far too long. Now the hard work begins,” he said.
Members of Garcetti’s family were on hand to witness the ceremony in Washington, D.C.
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President Joe Biden originally nominated Garcetti to be ambassador in July, 2021. However, talks stalled over concerns about how Garcetti handled sexual misconduct claims against a former aide while he was mayor. Garcetti has denied wrongdoing.
Biden then refused to name a new nominee and nominated Garcetti for the position once again this January, which led to the Senate vote.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement she looks forward to working with Garcetti in his new role.
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“I congratulate former Mayor Garcetti on his confirmation to serve as our country's ambassador to the world's largest democracy. His ability to strengthen our nation's position in the world draws from his experience leading a global city, an academic background in international affairs, service as a Navy intelligence officer and the full confidence of the President,” she said Thursday. “Los Angeles is an international hub, and I look forward to working with Eric as he represents our nation in New Delhi.”
Previously, the U.S. had been without an ambassador to India since the former U.S. ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster, left in January, 2021.
An investigation requested by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, last year concluded that it was “more probable than not” that former Garcetti senior adviser Rick Jacobs “sexually harassed multiple individuals and made racist comments towards others.” It also found it “extremely unlikely” that Garcetti was unaware of the behavior, saying that “by all accounts, Mayor Garcetti is very involved in the day-to-day operation of his office.”
The White House blasted the report, saying in a statement, “This partisan report was a hit job from the beginning, and many of the claims have already been conclusively debunked by more serious independent reports. The president has confidence in Mayor Garcetti and believes he will be an excellent representative in India at a critical moment and calls for the Senate to swiftly confirm him.”
Garcetti has repeatedly denied any knowledge of alleged harassing behavior by Jacobs.
